The report says New York’s Department of Transportation has warned of “severe traffic congestion” around fixtures, with road closures and shuttle corridors planned near the stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
That has prompted some employers to relax normal attendance requirements. S&P Global is reportedly allowing New York-based staff to work from home on match days, while Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are also said to be offering temporary flexibility.
The scale of the tournament matters. With fixtures spread across host cities including New York, Mexico City, Toronto, Vancouver, Miami and Seattle, disruption may be less concentrated than at a single-city event - but the commuting challenge will return repeatedly.
The report says Mexico City is preparing remote-working arrangements for federal employees around the opening match and other key dates. Schools and offices in Guadalajara are also expected to adjust schedules.
But the return of work-from-home flexibility is far from universal. Amazon has reportedly advised staff to leave earlier and use public transport rather than changing office expectations. Hospitality, healthcare, manufacturing and other match-day services still require workers on site.
For businesses near stadiums and fan zones, the response may involve longer hours and extra staffing. Atlanta restaurant owner Teneshia Murray described an unexpected result after preparing for heavier traffic: “On Monday the roads were clearer than ever.”
The World Cup is testing how employers respond when commuting becomes inefficient rather than impossible. Flexible work, once treated as a permanent workplace debate, is being used here as a short-term tool to keep cities moving.
The next storyline will be whether these temporary measures disappear after the final whistle - or become the blueprint for handling future tournaments, concerts and major sporting events.